Adenhart, 'Cats top 'Roaders

BRUNSWICK, Md. - Williamsport's Nick Adenhart opened his pitching performance against Brunswick on Tuesday walking the first two batters.

Five innings and 11 strikeouts later, Adenhart had blanked the Railroaders on two hits and received plenty of run support as the Wildcats posted an 8-3 MVAL Antietam victory in front of the customary array of major league scouts.

Adenhart recorded six straight strikeouts in the second and third innings and bore down when needed as Brunswick left seven runners stranded through the first four innings.

Winning his fifth game in six decisions, Adenhart threw 91 pitches, 54 for strikes, before giving way to Ben Jordan in the sixth. His fastball was consistently in the 90-91 mph range and his breaking ball, in the 78-80 mph range, kept Brunswick off-balance.

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"I had some trouble getting a good grip on the baseball today," Adenhart said. "I thought my velocity was pretty good and I was just off the corners. I just had to keep concentrating."

Adenhart's first-inning sacrifice fly drove in Will Roney, who had doubled and moved to third on a passed ball.

Adenhart received more good news later in the inning when Jordan and David Warrenfeltz - who were taking an Advanced Placement test at Hagerstown Community College - arrived at the game about 15 minutes after the start, just in time to bat in the second inning and help the Wildcats put three runs up against Brunswick sophomore pitcher Aaron Main.

Leo Schill walked and made it to third on Phillip Jordan's sacrifice bunt and a throwing error. Ben Jordan promptly blooped an opposite-field double down the left-field line to score Schill, and both Jordans crossed the plate when Warrenfeltz ripped a double to right-center.

Ben Jordan, who singled in the fourth, was at it again in the sixth against Brunswick reliever Phil Kennedy, delivering his first home run of the year to score himself and his brother for a 6-0 lead.

"We were pretty focused taking the tests, so I think it just carried over into the game," Ben Jordan said after his three-hit game raised his season batting average to .585. "Coach (Rod Steiner) tells me to hit hard line drives, and that's what I try to do."

Williamsport (13-3, 10-3) added two seventh-inning runs, including one on Adenhart's RBI single, before Brunswick (4-11, 2-7) avoided the shutout with three runs in the final inning on an RBI single by Blaine Keyser and a two-run double by Josh Via.

"We're young and scrappy and we had some opportunities to score against Adenhart with runners at third, but he got the strikeouts when he needed them," Brunswick coach Roger Dawson said.

Adenhart likely will pitch next Tuesday against South Hagerstown. He said the Wildcats are beginning to get focused for the postseason.

"I think we want to use these games the rest of the way to get ready for the playoffs," Adenhart said. "We've been starting to think of them and it's time to really be focused."